UKRI has announced today a cross-discipline investment for £213m to upgrade the UK’s world-class research infrastructure. The funding will help UK researchers tackle major challenges such as COVID-19 research and recovery and net-zero goals.
CLIMB, who is playing a pivotal role in supporting the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium throughout this pandemic, will receive a funding boost of £1.2 million. This will support and expand the ultra-high performance computing infrastructure in Birmingham and Cardiff.
It’s highly rewarding to see the intellectual and financial investment that has gone into the CLIMB cloud computing project, and its successor CLIMB-BIG-DATA, underpinning such cutting-edge efforts to control infection on the world stage.
Professor Mark Pallen, CLIMB-BIG-DATA Principal Investigator
Science Minister Amanda Solloway said “The response from UK scientists and researchers to coronavirus has been nothing short of phenomenal. We need to match this excellence by ensuring scientific facilities are truly world-class, so scientists can continue carrying out life-changing research for years to come as we build back better from the pandemic.”
Professor Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UKRI said: “Research and innovation infrastructure is key to delivering the government’s R&D Roadmap […]. Outstanding infrastructure helps to convene talent from the public and private sectors and across disciplines to tackle society’s most complex challenges. It acts as a magnet for researchers and innovators internationally, contributes to local and national economies, and generates knowledge and capability critical to UK policy, security and wellbeing.”